Boost and You
Up until about a year ago, “boost” was a term to describe airborne radness on a bike (Sure, most of the time that radness was a bit inflated, but whatever, all radness is good radness.)
But then, sensing that the mountain-biking public had become complacent with their three wheel sizes and 5(ish) rear axle standards, the powers that be declared that Boost was the new standard, and all other standards should kneel before it.
(Well, all other standards except for 150mm. And the sub-genre of 157mm. And all the fat bike stuff, because that’s different.)
But for everything else … there’s Boost!
Why Boost?
And yes, I grudgingly acknowledge that Boost makes sense. It makes more room for tire clearance, it helps your chainstays get shorter, and it keeps your chainline reasonably decent. It’s not without a cost, of course; namely, all of your old stuff won’t fit anymore. But this isn’t an argument for (or against) Boost. That’s been done over and over and over again.
Like it or not, the fact of the matter is that Boost is the new standard. Within 2-3 years, I’d venture a guess that virtually every trail bike will be running on that spacing.
The silver lining is that a few companies are working on adaptors, so any holdouts will be able to keep running their 26” wheels with 142mm hubs.
Ibis’s New Boost
All that aside, we’re pointing to Ibis’ release of a Boost-compatible rear end for the HD3 as an example of a company going about this new standard the right way. This marks the second bike in Ibis’ lineup that now has rear ends available in both 142×12 and Boost 148 (the Ripley being the other).
If you already have some sweet wheels at your disposal, get the 142. If you’re buying a complete bike and you don’t want to invest in something that’s destined to become obsolete, get the Boost rear end. By accommodating everyone, Ibis does it right. Oh, and the new rear end fits plus sized tires, too.
See the details from Ibis below…
Announcing Boost and Plus for the Mojo HD3
On Monday March 14th, the capable and versatile Mojo HD3 will become even more capable. With the addition of an all-new swingarm design, the HD3 is now both Boost and Plus tire compatible, accommodating the delightfully grippy Plus tires up to 2.8”.
The new HD3 is in stock and available for immediate shipping in all three colors.
With the addition of Plus capability, you can build the HD3 in three distinct categories that will accommodate wildly different conditions and styles of riding, all with a single set of wheels.
- Our dw-link suspension effectively decouples suspension travel from climbing performance, so if XC or light trail bike duty is what you’re after, a nice light set of 2.3” tires will turn this beast into a svelte shredder.
- If you ride in mud a lot, some 2.3 mud spikes will fit with gobs of clearance.
- For those of you who just want to point it straight downhill or if you ride in very rough and rocky conditions, put on some 2.5s with good sidewall protection and hold on tight. Hint: if you want to use every mm of the 150mm travel HD3, the new Wide Trail (WT) Maxxis Minions are an ideal match for our 35mm internal width carbon rims.
- And finally, the new kids on the block, equally confidence inspiring for beginner and expert alike, the 2.8” Plus tires from both Maxxis and Schwalbe offer levels of grip we’ve never seen this side of Velcro.
That’s Not All
For current HD3 owners who want to upgrade to Boost/Plus, we’ve got great news. We are offering a swingarm retrofit kit for the 142mm HD3s to convert to the Boost/Plus swingarm.
The retrofit kit consists of:
- All new HD3 Boost/Plus Swingarm
- New 148mm Hexle
- Boost lower link
- Boost lower link rear shaft hardware
- Boost compatible front derailleur mount
- Retrofit kits will be available in April.